Letters from Home

How to Write a Letter to Your Child at Camp

Out on the porch of the Rockbrook dining hall is a row of mailboxes, one for every camper and staff member at camp. Every day after lunch, everyone takes time to peer into their box hoping there’s some mail to find. It could be a card or letter, or an email that the office printed and delivered to the box. This is a highlight of the day because it’s exciting to receive a surprise gift, no matter how small, and think, “I wonder who it’s from.” Receiving letters from home or other friends and family has always been a part of the summer camp experience.

Most parents know they should write to their kids when they’re away at summer camp. But do they know how to do it? Do they know what to say, and perhaps more importantly, what not to say? They may have questions like “How often should I write?” or “Should I tell them about world events, or shield them from troubling news?” In fact, there are good answers here, helpful guidelines to ensure parent letters encourage a camper’s independence while still maintaining a connection to loved ones at home. A great camp letter from home finds this balance between support and the self-confidence that grows while away. Here’s how to do it.

Your goal when writing to your child at camp should be to encourage and support her in this new experience. You want to provide some reassurance as she explores and at the same time be careful not to pull her back home. You want to be upbeat about her abilities to take full advantage of camp life, to try new activities, meet new people, and overcome any challenges that might pop up. It’s through your confidence in her that she will build her own confidence. Home serves as an anchor of love and support as she navigates camp life away. A phrase like “I know you’ll figure it out” goes a long way. Remind her of her strengths: “You’re always so kind and understanding” or “You know what being a good friend means,” for example. You are expressing your trust in her, and in her success at camp.

One trap to avoid is writing too often to your child at camp. Yes, more letters from home isn’t always better. Research has shown that too much communication from parents increases the likelihood of homesickness. After all, you really don’t want your camper thinking about you instead of immersing herself in camp life. It seems counter intuitive, but ideally your camper loves camp so much, they forget about life at home. Too many letters from home, especially the wrong kind of letters, will surely undermine this ideal.

What to Include in your letters

With all these goals in mind, what should parents write about in their letters to camp? What are some content ideas that work?

summer camp horse riding girl
  • Describe boring home updates – Tell her how everything is normal at home, all routine sorts of things happening, with very little excitement. The idea is to make camp seem way more fun and exciting by comparison… Because it is! For example, “Dad fixed the sink,” or “We reorganized the garage,” or “I’ve been working in the garden.” But be careful not to make your letter a highlight reel of everything she’s missing while away.
  • Ask questions about camp – This is a great way to keep the focus on camp. Show your interest in all of the things going on at camp. Reference what you’ve seen in the photo gallery. For example, you can ask “Tried climbing yet?” or “What’s the best muffin flavor so far?” or “I saw a photo of you weaving. That’s so cool! What are you making?” Show your camper you are curious and excited about all of the new experiences she’s having at camp.
  • Tell her you’re proud – It’s a great accomplishment just being at camp, making so many decisions on her own, navigating the social aspects, taking care of everything without parents guiding every step. You should be proud of your camper! And she should be proud of herself! Tell her about it. “It’s cool you’re doing this on your own.” “I’m so happy you’re trying horseback riding.” “I saw a photo of you shooting archery. That’s amazing!”
  • Add a bit of fun – This is your chance to get creative. Toss in a new “dad joke,” tell a silly riddle, or compile a funny “top 5 list.” You are providing a little entertainment, or a chuckle she can share with cabin mates and friends. “Q: Where do pirates get their hooks? A: Second-hand stores!” “It really takes guts to be an organ donor.” “I ate a clock the other day. It was very time consuming.” “Here are my top 5 hidden talents.” Word games for older campers, brainteasers and other puzzles are always fun to receive.

What to Avoid in Your Letters

After these good ideas, there are also things to avoid. Some topics can stir up emotions in kids away from home. They might feel guilty about being away, or worried about how parents are doing, for example. What should parents NOT talk about in their letters to camp?

child zip line scream
  • News of exciting events they’re missing – Nobody enjoys skipping something they like, especially kids who might already be missing the comforts of home. Try to avoid making your camper feel torn about what’s happening without her. Don’t say, for example, “We’re going to the beach this weekend” or “We ate dinner at your favorite restaurant.” Feeling left out is hard for everyone.
  • Emotional manipulation – The risk here is that your feelings of missing your camper will make her feel guilty. Yes you miss them, and you love them, but your job is to encourage their independence while they are away at camp. Don’t undermine that by suggesting people at home aren’t doing well. Avoid saying things like, “The house feels so empty without you,’ or “Your sister (or family pet) is sad and really misses you,” or “I don’t know what to do without you here.”
  • Vague concerns – Avoid discussing your own specific concerns, even in vague terms. The adult world can be a jumble of anxieties, but camp is designed to be a break from all that. Don’t bring up problems or issues campers can’t solve or control. Some campers are easily worried about life outside of camp, so don’t hint at anything concerning, even if you think they should know eventually. For example, don’t say, “There’s a lot going on, but we’ll tell you later,” or “Grandma was in the hospital, but she’s fine now.”
  • Pressure and expectations – Be careful not to pressure your camper with high expectations for her time at camp. You want camp to be her experience, something self-directed and enjoyed at her own pace. Let her choices be her own. Similarly, avoid nagging her about schoolwork, room cleaning, or other home responsibilities. For example, avoid asking, “Why are you taking so many crafts activities?” or “Why aren’t you writing me back?” or “There’s a big pile of summer reading books here for you.”
  • Big things happening at home or in the world – Generally, waiting for your camper to return home is the best time to discuss troubling news. Camp is a haven, a happy place immune from heavy things in the world like natural disasters, sad family events, and incidents of violence. It’s easy to understand why it’s best to avoid discussing anything that might be frightening for a child. Avoid speculative language that may feed anxiety. If you feel you must share some troubling news with your camper, please reach out to us beforehand to coordinate how we can support the process.

Writing to your camper doesn’t have to be complicated. Instead, just keep these tips in mind and rest assured that “getting it right” is mostly about expressing your optimism about the camp experience, and your firm belief in your child. By writing this kind of encouraging letter, by cheering them on from afar, you’re helping your camper get more out of camp. So go ahead, write her a letter. It will truly mean a lot to her.

silly summer camp girl costumes

Fresh Opportunities

We always say that camp teaches resilience, and today we had a clear example. About 4:30 this morning, a large red oak tree fell about a half mile down the road from Rockbrook and took down all the power lines with it. Normally, power outages around here are quickly repaired and we’re back to normal in a couple of hours, but sometimes it can take much longer. With this in mind, we installed a backup generator in 2019. It powers our kitchen, water system and health hut, but that’s it. During an outage, we’re still able to prepare and serve meals, use the bathrooms (though without hot water), and take care of basic health needs.

summer camp assembly kids

Right from the beginning campers used headlamps and flashlights as needed. For example, this morning in the dining hall, we ate our breakfast by battery-powered lanterns and the early morning light from the skylights. All of the regular camp activities carried on just fine without electricity since so much of what we do is outdoors. Our office, on the other hand, has been without power all day, so thank you for your patience if you’ve been trying to reach us by phone or email. Most of the campers postponed their showers today, waiting for the hot water heaters to come back online, which they did, by the way, at 4pm when the power came back on (thankfully!).

Overall, these inconveniences required us to be a little flexible and a little patient, but life at camp always requires some of that. Camp girls know how to pivot to a new activity, switch gears because of the weather, and always find something spontaneous to do with a friend. At camp, what at first seems like challenges easily become fresh opportunities.

Yesterday our July Mini 2 campers arrived, finally ending their waiting for camp. All that anticipation turned into visible excitement as they checked into camp one by one. Cabin groups came together, as counselors cheered with each arrival. The girls set up their cabins, had a quick tour of the camp, and visited the camp store to collect their pre-camp gear purchases… all before an all-camp assembly on the hill and lunch.

The big event of the day was a “Wizard of Oz” themed all-camp event that sent the girls scampering about to try different fun activities. Most of the fun happened up on the hill, with speakers playing songs from Wicked and The Wizard of Oz echoing across the camp. One activity station was the “Yellow Brick Skittle,” where participants had to pick out all the yellow Skittles from about 10 pounds of them.

Another station was Broom Making with the Wicked Witch, where they made mini brooms using dried lavender, thyme, and hay. We also had apple slice decorating as a food option, kind of like mini candy apples with various toppings. We organized a scavenger hunt where kids searched for items like ruby slippers, flying monkeys, the Grimmery (a big book), and Galinda the Good Witch. Some items were hidden around camp, while others were staff costumes.

At Friendship Rock, we held “Elphaba’s Cry Workshop” inspired by the movie Wicked. This was an opportunity for anyone to perform their cry in front of everyone. We heard several impressive renditions of “Defying Gravity.” We had an “I’m Melting Dunk Tank” where campers answered trivia questions for a chance to dunk someone. Another activity was guessing how many silver Hershey kisses were in a jar; it was 216 kisses, and a Middler camper guessed it exactly!

There was also a lollipop toss called the “Lollipop Guild” (similar to cornhole), “Scarecrow Hay Day” where kids searched for scarecrow brains inside straw bales, and a costume relay race dressing up as scarecrows. Other activities included apple bobbing with the Tin Man in the lake, hair bow making with Dorothy in the dining hall, and hot air balloon crafting with felted 3D balloons. As for costumes, we saw lots of Elphabas, Galindas, Totos, Yellow Brick Roads, Munchkins, Scarecrows, Tin Men, and even an Emerald City!

Overall, it was a fantastic afternoon that showed our campers’ amazing adaptability. As they bopped between activities spread across camp, making the most of every opportunity, they proved once again that the best part of camp is simply being together.

colorful camp costumes

Second Session Highlights Video – Part Two

Robbie Francis of FrancisFilmworks spent another day this past week filming at Rockbrook, and now has edited this wonderful highlights video for us. Once again it’s a lovely glimpse into the upbeat action that fills our days at camp. The video does a great job of depicting the mood of camp right now, the friendships, the laughter, and the huge variety of fun.

Take a look, and see camp in action!

Rain and All

We’re finding ourselves in a typical summer weather pattern. Like the last couple days, and probably for the next few, today began cool and foggy. The temperature and dew point hovered together around 67 degrees when we woke up, with the humidity about 99 percent. We’re pulling a lot of moisture out of the Gulf, and there’s no major weather system to push it out. As the sun warmed things up, all morning we enjoyed bright skies with big puffy clouds. Higher up near our surrounding mountains the air is much cooler, so as our moist air near the ground warmed, evaporating the dew, it began to rise. That clash between the rising moist air and the cooler air above it created what we expected: a thunderstorm.

Today’s storm happened just after lunch, around 2pm. Perfect timing! Our lightning alarm sounded and everyone scattered back to their cabins for rest hour. For the next hour or so we watched the storm drop more than half an inch of rain… all that moisture returning to the ground. By 3:30, the storm had passed and the sun was back out for the rest of the day. You can see how an afternoon thunderstorm can become a recurring thing. By the way, if you’re interested in the weather at Rockbrook, our weather station publishes its data here and here.

campers dancing in the rain

Sometimes we’re simply caught in the rain, getting wet and cooling off. This can inspire some pretty silly stuff. For example, yesterday the Hi-Ups decided, since they were already wet, to dance around in the rain and then roll down the hill wearing trash bags. Why? For no particular reason other than the fun of it. Today, a couple of senior campers found themselves walking in the creek, and soon with no warning having a splash battle. Both examples ended up with everyone soaking wet and laughing hysterically. Once again, there’s proof that camp offers a joyous freedom to relax into the world, to be fully present and playful, no matter what the weather. We adults might occasionally summon the courage to say, “Ah, what the heck!” and dance in the rain, soaked to the skin. But kids at camp? They do it instinctively and without hesitation. Lucky them!

Several of the craft activities at Rockbrook are led by day-staff specialists, artists and craft artisans who can offer more knowledge and experience than a cabin counselor. These are crafts where more instruction makes all the difference. Woodworking is a perfect example. It involves a range of essential skills and concepts, not to mention sharp cutting tools that require careful handling. Pottery, too, benefits from experienced teaching, especially when girls are learning to throw on the wheel. Having someone close by to demonstrate techniques and offer hands-on help can be the key to success. Weaving in Curosty and Needlecraft are two more examples. In each case, the girls are learning something new, often quite sophisticated, even as they’re simply having fun exploring their creativity.

In the end, it’s a summer day at camp with its misty mornings, midday showers, muddy hands and feet, and a special unbounded laughter we cherish. It’s a daily rhythm we’ve come to love, rain and all.

summer camp friends talking

Been There All Along

There’s a word you’re likely to hear when people describe their camp experience, a word I’ve heard from teenage campers, staff members and adult camp alumni alike. It’s “magical.” When trying to convey how special camp is to them, how extraordinary it feels to simply be at camp, they’ll talk about the “magic of camp” or that “camp magic.”

two girls friends at summer camp

Yes, camp life is marvelous. It’s awesome, amazing, fantastic. It’s so much better than the “mundane world,” with everything having a little something extra, some power or spirit. That’s why camp friends are your closest, camp sunsets more beautiful, muffins more delicious, being silly more hilarious, and feelings of belonging more genuine. Camp life reveals a magical quality in even the simplest things, enlivening our days wonderfully.

But how does it do that? The sunsets, muffins, and the excitement of a rafting trip are probably pretty similar to what can be found elsewhere. There’s probably nothing material that would make camp life distinctly better than non-camp examples.

So what makes it magical? If there’s something profoundly different about camp life that fills it with amazing people, flashes of beauty, moments of wonder, and surprising feelings of deep happiness, then how?

Here’s an idea.

I believe camp provides the conditions where we can notice what’s been there all along. In other words, the magic is already here; we just don’t see it in our ordinary daily lives. Camp doesn’t have a special power to create magic. Rather, it inspires us simply to become more aware of subtle qualities always available in the world around us.

Rockbrook proves that everyone is a potential friend. It shows us how the briefest encounter with the natural world is wonder-full. Here, conversations are driven by curiosity rather than criticism. Camp days are filled by doing things in the real world, exercising all our senses. Here, what might seem ordinary or routine comes alive with new details, chances to learn and create.

That’s the power of camp, how it’s magical. It encourages a “receptive awareness” that reveals the magical quality of things. By lifting kindness up as its highest ideal, it helps us be generous and see beyond ourselves. By giving us a break from the fast-paced demands of work and school, camp helps us slow down and notice the beautiful details in most things. By being a tech-free environment, it liberates us from a worldview limited to algorithms and sensationalism. By encouraging silliness and play, camp teaches us how to be comfortable with who we are. By establishing a truly supportive community, it draws us closer to the people around us. In the outside world, each of these might require a deliberate choice, but they are built right into our camp life… making it yes, magical.

So let’s celebrate the power of camp to tune our awareness, and perhaps reveal the magic in things long after the summer ends.

silly whitewater raftin kids

Good Messy

Sometimes being messy is the right thing to do. For example, this afternoon when the bell rang, and everyone rolled down to the landsports field dressed in their swimsuits, our goal was just that, to get as messy as possible. We were having a shaving cream fight! It doesn’t take much: a grassy field, about 200 cans of plain shaving cream, water hoses, upbeat music pumping through the speakers, and that familiar slip-n-slide sheet of plastic spread out on a gentle slope. Add a group of campers and counselors who already know each other extraordinarily well, and you’re set.

summer camp shaving cream fight

Today it took only about a minute for the field to erupt into joyful chaos. Girls were racing around, squirting white foam everywhere… all over each other, in their hair, on their shoulders, even on their faces, creating ridiculous foam mustaches and beards. The goal of a shaving cream fight is simple. Spray and be sprayed. It’s less of a fight and more of a party. No teams, no score, no winners or losers. Instead, it’s a fantastic flash of pure, uninhibited fun.

Soon everyone was covered head to toe in slippery white foam, looking absolutely ridiculous and loving every second of it. The youngest juniors shrieked with delight as they chased counselors. Seniors helped each other create the most outrageous foam hairstyles imaginable. Rockbrook folks of all ages were right in the thick of it.

Of course, all of this is absolutely hilarious. Being a part of it you can’t help but smile and laugh, the kind of all-consuming laughter that almost hurts. With the slip-n-slide action, girls launching themselves down the plastic sheet, tumbling and rolling with abandon, we had yet another layer of messy fun.

But here’s the thing. Getting messy this way is good for us. It’s good messy!

When you think about it, we spend most of our time trying to stay clean, composed, and put-together. We worry about our hair, our clothes, our appearance. We’re careful not to spill, not to smudge, not to get dirty, or leave things “out of place.” Certainly, this is important, but what happens when we throw all that caution to the wind, even for just a moment?

Something magical. Especially for kids. There’s an incredible sense of freedom to covering yourself in shaving cream from head to toe, looking absolutely ridiculous. And when everyone around you is equally silly, you can’t help but laugh at yourself. Suddenly all our usual worries about appearance just… dis-appear in the moment. Part of the energy of a shaving cream fight is the release we feel, the permission to simply be real.

In this way, getting messy is courageous. It requires letting go of control, of perfectionism, of caring what others think. Being surrounded by friends who are doing the same thing makes this all the more possible. A messy shaving cream fight helps everyone be less shy, less worried, less self-conscious. With no rules, we just do. With no critics, there’s a lot more joy.

This is why we keep having shaving cream fights at Rockbrook, session after session. Sure it’s about the fun, but it’s also about learning something. For young girls, it’s about learning there’s freedom and joy in being who you really are. Being messy, ignoring any notion of “perfect,” is a window into that authenticity.

In a world that so often demands perfection from our girls, sometimes the most radical thing we can do is (first remove their phone! then) hand them a can of shaving cream and say, “Go get messy.” Because in that mess, they discover something really valuable: the feeling of being completely, authentically, joyfully themselves.

camp shaving cream slide

Second Session Highlights Video

OK! You may have been waiting for it, and we’re thrilled to share it… it’s the latest highlights video from Robbie Francis of FrancisFilmworks. You might remember his videos from past years, going all the way back to 2015!

Robbie has returned this summer, once again working his filming and editing magic to capture the sweet interactions, vast activity, and overall feeling of life at camp.

It can sometimes be hard to grasp all that goes on at Rockbrook. But now’s your chance! Take two minutes to watch this video, and you’ll get a pretty good idea.

Enjoy!

The Hill, Always in Motion

At any given moment during the day, the main hill at camp is alive with motion. It begins up by the Junior Lodge, a wide grassy slope stretching past the big walnut tree in the center, the occasional boulder, and the maple tree at the bottom near the ‘Curosty’ fiber arts cabin. It’s a space that’s neither loud nor rushed, but there’s a constant current of movement. Like a busy train station, campers come and go. Some are off to activities with water bottles in hand. Others pass by in bathing suits and towels, heading down to the lake or back from a refreshing dip.

Campers climbing the hill

The nearby tetherball court is always in motion. A small circle of campers wait nearby, keeping an eye on whose turn is next, while the ball swings wildly in one fast-paced game after another. Just up the hill, the sound of ukulele music drifts down from the porch of the Junior Lodge, where a counselor and a few new players work on their chords. And in the middle of it all, someone is likely calling, “Walk, please!” to remind overly eager campers not to sprint down toward the water!

In between the action, there are campers sprawled out in patches of shade, making friendship bracelets or flipping through books. A few are stretched on beach towels, journaling or sketching while friends chat nearby. Clumps of Juniors are eagerly hunting for Lawrence, the elusive camp gnome. Others are making mudpies at the stream and opening a “restaurant” for business.

Camp Hill Tetherball

The beauty of it all is in the freedom of choice. Campers decide how to spend their free periods and who to spend it with. They move at their own pace. Some come to the hill to sit alone for a moment. Others arrive looking for a group to join or an adventure to start.

Without phones or crowded schedules pressing in, the hill becomes a space of possibility. A camper might be headed somewhere, or she might stop halfway and decide to hang out with new friends. Whatever she chooses, it’s hers. The hill just keeps moving, reflecting the independence and joy that define life at Rockbrook.

An Extra Dose of Sparkle

Rockbrook is always a place of celebration, but the 4th of July gives us an extra special reason to kick things up a notch! And the festivities start first thing, even before the rising bell.

horse at camp on 4th of July

The riding staff members, dressed in their finest red, white and blue, ride decorated horses up into camp! This morning, they spread out and rode down each cabin line shouting, “The British are coming! Wake up! Wake up!” (a playful nod to Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride). We’ve done this for years at Rockbrook, but it’s still a fun surprise for the girls to wake up hearing hoofbeats outside their cabins. A little sleepy-eyed, the girls stumble out onto the hill and gather around the flagpole where the Hi-Ups lead a flag raising ceremony.

Down at the lake, the counselors we have from the UK performed a short skit that ended up with all of them jumping in the water, proving again that the British are already here.

4th of July face paint

All this patriotic spirit and celebration, continued throughout the day. Red, white and blue decorations transformed the dining hall with streamers, posters, and ribbons hung in every direction. We set tables with patriotic headbands, stickers, glitter, and temporary tattoos that quickly became the most popular accessories of the day, giving our regular camp activities an extra dose of stars-and-stripes sparkle.

Rick and his fantastic kitchen crew prepared a special lunch for everyone, something that he serves only occasionally because it takes multiple people three days to make. Using traditional ingredients, they made us 4 different varieties of tamales. Masa corn flour, stock, and different fillings like cheese, chicken, peppers and onions, plus two different sauces (a red and a green) are all wrapped in a corn husk and then steamed for two hours. Altogether they made about 1,200 tamales! Giant pots of steaming tamales filled the kitchen. Unwrapping warm, freshly steamed tamales for lunch. What a treat!

summer camp picnic kids

We served dinner on the hill, a classic meal of burgers, french fries, and watermelon or pineapple. The girls were surprised to find they could have a can of Cheerwine soda kept cold in the creek.

The evening activity began with a classic counselor hunt. Ten counselors hid around the camp and each cabin roamed together looking for them. Only one cabin managed to find all ten, completing their map and earning a prize trip with Casey next week. We also held a pie-eating contest. We’ve found over the years that it works best to have counselors eat the pie and the campers cheer them on. It’s actually quite difficult to eat a whole pie, but Blaire was able to beat six others in the contest.

As it grew dark, we topped the day with our own fireworks show. Casey gave out glow sticks to all the girls, and as they gathered on the hill in their crazy creek chairs, we blasted fun music. For the next 30 minutes or so, we enjoyed a dance party while the boom and sparkle of fireworks lit up the sky. As the girls twirled their glow sticks and sang along to the music, they cheered with every colorful burst.

From early galloping horses to the nighttime fireworks spectacular, the 4th of July today at Rockbrook was a day-long celebration of camp fun, red-white-and-blue flair, and good times with friends. Happy 4th of July!